Thursday, July 18, 2013

Search party launched for Captain Buxton the sailing cat following disappearance

A charity sailing adventure has hit rough waters with the disappearance of ship's cat Captain Buxton. The feline first mate went missing while sailing yacht Amalia, crewed by his owners Helena and Steve Neal from Whitstable, was moored in Lossimouth harbour, Scotland.

They stopped off on their 11-week trip around the coast of Britain to raise money for Pilgrims Hospices. An entry on the couple's blog says: "We had a terrible surprise on Friday morning. We awoke at 5am, to an alarm that I should have cancelled on my phone, and Buxton was not there. We searched the boat, and then the marina for him but he was nowhere to be found."

A fellow sailor saw him overnight sitting on top of another boat, and then walking along the pontoons, but there have been no more clues to his whereabouts. The couple have put up posters around the town and registered Buxton as missing but after two days hunting decided to continue with their journey. They said: "This morning, given the futility of our search, we made the tough decision to leave Lossiemouth and head on with our journey.

"The people of Lossie are an amazingly friendly and accommodating bunch and I'm sure if Buxton is there he'll turn up and we'll get to hear about it. He has been microchipped so we should hear from a vet if he turns up too. We've got everything crossed and are hoping dearly that it won't be long before we hear some good news. He is a part of our family and we hope so much that we'll see him again soon." Anyone with information about Buxton's whereabouts can contact the couple via their Facebook page.